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Original poster

2 GCSEs to choose from DT, German, Geo, RS - critique is welcome please

99 replies

pasok1000 · 03/03/2023 05:59

My son is choosing :
Maths
Triple science
Engl
Comp Science
History

Now he needs to add 2 GCSEs from:
DT, German, Geo, RS

Please what woudl be your critique?

OP posts:
Original poster
pasok1000 · 04/03/2023 08:27

Yes

OP posts:
clary · 04/03/2023 11:09

Hi sorry missed this, thanks for the tag @TeenDivided

yes to answer Teen's point, if he is already planning to take french, then the German GCSE (assuming the same board - most popular is AQA but it might be worth checking that it is the same board @pasok1000 ) will have identical exams and identical AOs.

In other words, he needs to know tenses and similar levels of vocab; the speaking exam will be a role play, a picture and general conversation in both; the listening and writing exams will be partially in target language etc. I also found when taking multiple languages at school that there was a lot of crossover - the way you create the perfect tense is very similar in French and German, for example (and similar verbs take to be rather than to have as the auxiliary! - j'ai joue but je suis alle; ich habe gespielt but ich bin gegangen). Anyway. Hoipefully that makes a bit of sense.

so to sum up and I agree with others, he should take what he will enjoy. Because that is where he will do well. If you love languages, take them for A level! yay! yes they can be challenging but I am pretty sure an A-star at A level geography is not easy. Check out how much coursework there actually is in DT (and geography) as I thought it was fairly minimal tbh. A lot of DS2's peers, who were the first to take the new DT GCSE (in 2019), were not impressed with it.

Agree @TeenDivided - thinking at 13 "I should take this GCSE that I like less, as the A level will be easier and then I can get into uni" - how depressing. Also almost certainly not true.

clary · 04/03/2023 11:11

The 20% coursework for geography comment I have just realised refers to A level - pretty sure there is not much at all in GCSE. Sorry I should read posts more carefully Smile

cptartapp · 04/03/2023 12:41

But then you don't take a GCSE if you like it less. You only consider the long term strategy if all else is equal.
If not depressing, it's being realistic. Some subjects are 'easier' than others.

redskydelight · 04/03/2023 12:53

I gave my DC lots of advice about choosing GCSEs. Some they took and some they didn't. The subjects they took that they were ambivalent about but I suggested would keep doors open they ended up hating and doing badly in.

DD ended up doing 2 practical subjects against my advice. She really enjoyed both ,found they were a good counterpoint to her other academic choices and got high grades.

Your DC's choices already demonstrate a good spread and keep his options open. I would suggest against over advising and focus on working out which subjects he will enjoy most.
Of the 4 you've listed RE has a lot of essay writing. Based on his other choices, I'm guessing this might not be your DC's forte?

clary · 04/03/2023 12:54

I mean I am all for thinking ahead. I think it is slightly deceptive to suggest that geography is easier than MFL tho. Your DC found it so. That's great. My DD got the same grade at geog A level and French A level. That doesn't prove that Geog is just as hard as French - just that it was for her (or many other factors that may have come into play, obvs).

OP if he likes all four subjects equally then maybe look ahead and consider post-16 options. But overall it sounds as tho he has a preference. All his choices are solid and he has a great academic base already.

redskydelight · 04/03/2023 13:02

Agree with clary that how hard a subject is depends on the person doing it. Interesting, other than the mandatory maths and English, my DC took entirely different selections of GCSEs. They both thought each others selections looked very difficult!

SansaClegane · 04/03/2023 13:51

Could I jump on here and get mumsnet's wisdom as well please? DS is also currently deciding on his GCSEs. He has chosen
Maths
English
Triple science
German
& then:
Geography
History
Computer science

I feel this is a bit too dry / sciency. He does however hate all the creative / artsy subjects with a passion (drama, dance, food tech, et, art); music he can't do as he's not playing an instrument anymore & wouldn't be able to catch up to the required standard in time.
He's adamant he doesn't want to carry on with Spanish, which is his 2nd best subject, because he doesn't like the teacher Confused I think adding another language might be good though?
Any thoughts on this or how I might convince him? Or "let him make his own choices"?

TeenDivided · 04/03/2023 14:01

@SansaClegane You are better off starting your own thread, otherwise advice for you will get muddled with advice for the OP. for what it's worth for an academic student who doesn't like practical/creative it seems fine. A second language is no 'better' than History / Geog/Computer science.

DorritLittle · 04/03/2023 20:45

@SansaClegane there is no guarantee he would get the same teacher. Could you bribe him with a holiday in Spain?

TizerorFizz · 06/03/2023 00:29

The big advantage of MFLs at a very good university is that many ask for lower grades than they would for English. geography or history. Therefore if MFLs are what you are good at, you can get in pretty much everywhere decent on AAB/ABB . Only a handful want AAA. Some don’t even care if the B is in the MFL. Two MFLs and they are keen to have you! So planning matters. Just as it would for sciences!

BelindaMelinda · 06/03/2023 00:43

I'm kind of equally fascinated and aghast at the number of posters picking apart and analysing their Dc's option choices, 'suggesting' they do x subject because it will look better for uni, or will be a useful skill or a more balanced bla bla bla.

Honestly. None of it matters. It doesn't matter one bit if geography is considered a solid choice at Uni or if German or Spanish are useful or whatever. Because if your dc is ambivalent towards it, they're less likely to do well anyway.

I encouraged my dc to read the booklet and think. I listened to him. I answered a couple of questions and we googled a few things together about a couple of subjects, at his prompting. When he made his choices, I left it a few days and encouraged him to read the booklet again and make sure he was happy.

I told him to pick what he enjoyed the most and kept my own opinion entirely to myself. It's your Dc's choice, not yours. I feel fairly sorry for quite a few dc of posters on this thread!

TizerorFizz · 06/03/2023 09:56

@BelindaMelinda
It really does matter. At 13 you do not have the life experience to understand what it could mean to drop a subject or indeed what advantages there are to keeping a subject. Parents should guide children if they understand the consequences. Schools should too. There are so many instances of Dc dropping subjects they later regret.

I think it’s a bigger issue for all round bright Dc who know they are not really scientists. Scientists are always catered for. They tend to know what to take. Others who might be good at MFL, RS, History and Geography plus every other subject with essays it does become a greater challenge to choose. So just reading a book is not enough. A levels might will be part of the discussion and also quality of teaching at the school in certain subjects. Ambition and a future career can also be in the mix. It always is for scientists. Others have more difficulty and need guidance to keep options open. It’s not picking over subjects or being negative, it’s trying to be supportive and avoiding future disappointments.

DD did 2xMFL. Yes she was good at them and liked them. However we knew even then that was an advantage for university if she took them through to A level. No doors closed for a subject she liked . Some DC will always be ok because it truly doesn’t matter for them for various reasons. No parent goes along with Dc dropping sciences (not possible anyway) so the choices for science Dc are remarkably easy. Some of us have to think a bit more!

Dredel · 06/03/2023 16:52

Please let him choose for goodness sake, it's completely irrelevant what he chooses out of that lot anyway unless he wants yo.do one at a level. And the same to the other parent ego has posted.

German/geog/rs/dt ....utterly utterly irrelevant which ones he chooses.

Dredel · 06/03/2023 16:53

BelindaMelinda · 06/03/2023 00:43

I'm kind of equally fascinated and aghast at the number of posters picking apart and analysing their Dc's option choices, 'suggesting' they do x subject because it will look better for uni, or will be a useful skill or a more balanced bla bla bla.

Honestly. None of it matters. It doesn't matter one bit if geography is considered a solid choice at Uni or if German or Spanish are useful or whatever. Because if your dc is ambivalent towards it, they're less likely to do well anyway.

I encouraged my dc to read the booklet and think. I listened to him. I answered a couple of questions and we googled a few things together about a couple of subjects, at his prompting. When he made his choices, I left it a few days and encouraged him to read the booklet again and make sure he was happy.

I told him to pick what he enjoyed the most and kept my own opinion entirely to myself. It's your Dc's choice, not yours. I feel fairly sorry for quite a few dc of posters on this thread!

Totally agree. All this pontificating is ridiculous.

DorritLittle · 06/03/2023 21:17

TizerorFizz · 06/03/2023 09:56

@BelindaMelinda
It really does matter. At 13 you do not have the life experience to understand what it could mean to drop a subject or indeed what advantages there are to keeping a subject. Parents should guide children if they understand the consequences. Schools should too. There are so many instances of Dc dropping subjects they later regret.

I think it’s a bigger issue for all round bright Dc who know they are not really scientists. Scientists are always catered for. They tend to know what to take. Others who might be good at MFL, RS, History and Geography plus every other subject with essays it does become a greater challenge to choose. So just reading a book is not enough. A levels might will be part of the discussion and also quality of teaching at the school in certain subjects. Ambition and a future career can also be in the mix. It always is for scientists. Others have more difficulty and need guidance to keep options open. It’s not picking over subjects or being negative, it’s trying to be supportive and avoiding future disappointments.

DD did 2xMFL. Yes she was good at them and liked them. However we knew even then that was an advantage for university if she took them through to A level. No doors closed for a subject she liked . Some DC will always be ok because it truly doesn’t matter for them for various reasons. No parent goes along with Dc dropping sciences (not possible anyway) so the choices for science Dc are remarkably easy. Some of us have to think a bit more!

I agree, it does matter what arts/humanities/language you choose if there is a possibility you might want to do them later. And agree that it is Ok for scientists who don’t have to choose! My DD would do no sciences and all humanities and arts if she truly had the choice.

TizerorFizz · 06/03/2023 22:04

@DorritLittle
Well yes. The schools obviously enforce sciences and maths. Nothing else, except English. Some schools want a humanity but don’t care about MFLs or arts or which humanity. There’s little guidance as to what combinations work and some schools give little guidance either.

@Dredel This is a thread where op asked a question or two and a discussion ensued. If you don’t want to participate, don’t. No one asked you to criticise perfectly reasonable viewpoints by calling it pontificating.I suspect you don’t understand why there might even be a discussion.

3littlebeans · 06/03/2023 22:09

My daughter's school (a grammar) gives them completely free choice for their 4 options.

It does insist on triple science alongside the usual maths/English. So 6 fixed and 4 complete choice.

The downside is they do this in yr 8 for a 3 Yr gcse which is great for those who are fixed in what they want to do but some kids could do with an extra year to really know!

TizerorFizz · 06/03/2023 22:52

I’m surprised a grammar does this. It makes it very difficult for humanities or arts pupils. Clearly it’s a science overload!

shinyshoes5566 · 06/03/2023 23:21

Geography and German. They only have to do RS to get the funding from the diocese. Waste of time.

3littlebeans · 07/03/2023 06:36

Tizer they have 4 options they can use for art/humanities. They can do triple humanities if they wish. Or drama music art. Wouldn't be super balanced but they're allowed to follow what they want to do with no expectation they have to have a language/a tech etc.

Most of the local schools have quite a restricted choice so we thought it was great!

MultipleVeganPies · 07/03/2023 06:42

Choose the ones he’s most interested in, enjoys, and also the ones the school gets good grades in. but enjoying the subject, and the subject having good teachers (these things go hand in hand) are key

nobody (Uni’s) care about GCSE, I don’t think

my oldest DS chose cooking and music instead of a language (dyslexic) or Geo/His and it did not harm his Uni applications for engineering one bit

cptartapp · 07/03/2023 06:53

BelindaMelinda · 06/03/2023 00:43

I'm kind of equally fascinated and aghast at the number of posters picking apart and analysing their Dc's option choices, 'suggesting' they do x subject because it will look better for uni, or will be a useful skill or a more balanced bla bla bla.

Honestly. None of it matters. It doesn't matter one bit if geography is considered a solid choice at Uni or if German or Spanish are useful or whatever. Because if your dc is ambivalent towards it, they're less likely to do well anyway.

I encouraged my dc to read the booklet and think. I listened to him. I answered a couple of questions and we googled a few things together about a couple of subjects, at his prompting. When he made his choices, I left it a few days and encouraged him to read the booklet again and make sure he was happy.

I told him to pick what he enjoyed the most and kept my own opinion entirely to myself. It's your Dc's choice, not yours. I feel fairly sorry for quite a few dc of posters on this thread!

Agree with Tizer.
Many DC come unstuck down the line using this approach.

Dredel · 07/03/2023 06:54

TizerorFizz · 06/03/2023 22:04

@DorritLittle
Well yes. The schools obviously enforce sciences and maths. Nothing else, except English. Some schools want a humanity but don’t care about MFLs or arts or which humanity. There’s little guidance as to what combinations work and some schools give little guidance either.

@Dredel This is a thread where op asked a question or two and a discussion ensued. If you don’t want to participate, don’t. No one asked you to criticise perfectly reasonable viewpoints by calling it pontificating.I suspect you don’t understand why there might even be a discussion.

Well I am participating. I'm telling the OP that it doesn't matter what he chooses so let him choose himself. All this parental bias is unhelpful and irrelevant.

3littlebeans · 07/03/2023 07:24

I agree it's best to let them choose, people do well when they're interested.